->''"Theyre the kind of dames who can wear floor-length gowns and look completely naked. The kind with hair piled up on their head like compliant serpents, or falling down in smooth lustrous waves. Dames with hard faces and mocking smiles and eyes that sized you up and found you wanting . . . but you’d do, for now."''-->-- '''James Lileks,''' ''The Bleat'' for [[http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/03/0203/020703.html February 7, 2003]]

The typical client in a HardboiledDetective story (French for "fatal woman," idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. [[WomanInBlack Dressed all in black]] with [[ShesGotLegs legs up to here]] and shady motives, she slinks into the [[PrivateInvestigator PI]]'s office, sometimes holding a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking cigarette on a long, long holder]], saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? [[PrivateEyeMonologue Do I care?]] [[{{Sexophone}} Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from]]? Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely [[MysteriousWoman keeping some secrets]].

The Femme Fatale is [[EvilIsSexy sexy]] [[WaxingLyrical and she]] [[Music/{{LMFAO}} knows it]]. Made famous by FilmNoir and hard-boiled detective stories, she manipulates and confuses TheHero with her undeniable aura of sexiness and danger. He knows that she's walking trouble and knows much more about the bad guys than he might or she should, but damn it if he can't resist her feminine wiles.

Unlike the virginal and sweet DamselInDistress (or possibly ActionGirl), the Femme Fatale exploits with everything she's got to wrap men around her finger. (In some eras, [[MakeUpIsEvil use of make-up is a tell-tale sign.]]) By the end of the story, the Femme Fatale will often be in one of two places: reformed by the hero to the side of good or firmly a villain and OutGambitted, though other scenarios are common as well such as DatingCatwoman, {{Archenemy}} or TheBadGuyWins.

If the Femme Fatale is vying for the hero's romantic attentions she will likely have a [[BettyAndVeronica sweeter and purer rival]]. The hero will/might decide that she's not worth the trouble she causes, but if she doesn't, than they might become an OutlawCouple.

What separates the Femme Fatale from TheVamp is that the Femme Fatale uses femininity and sensuality instead of upfront sexual advances. Her wiles include apparent helplessness and distress, and appeals to the man's greed, desire for revenge, or gullibility, as well as the implication of possible romance or sexual rewards, compared to The Vamp's reliance on raunchy sex or the promise of it and utter amorality otherwise. As a result of this, she is often more likely to be [[SympatheticPOV portrayed sympathetically]] than the average vamp.

The Femme Fatale is generally villainous, and heroic exceptions, in an artificial context to snare the bad guy, are closer to HeroicSeductress. Frequently, she is a WildCard, changing sides according to her own desires and goals; having her go through a HighHeelFaceTurn is rare.

She's often the LadyInRed, and even more often the WomanInBlack, but possibly dressed like [[NaiveEverygirl everyone else]] so as to not be ColourCodedForYourConvenience. The Femme Fatale is one of the female character types that can often be seen wearing OperaGloves, especially in conjunction with her sexy evening gowns, and, during the daytime (particularly in old FilmNoir movies), is often seen wearing a "fascinator" or "pillbox" hat with a partial- or full-face veil. She's ''definitely'' not above using the KissOfDistraction.

If [[DarkActionGirl she can fight, too,]] then she's ''really'' going to be trouble.

The younger version of this is the FilleFatale.

''[[TropeCo/FemmeFatale This item]] is available from the TropeCo catalog.''

----!!Examples:%%%%%%%%Note: A large number of examples were moved to the discussion for repairs.%%%%%%

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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* One of the most widely known femme fatales is [[VillainProtagonist Fujiko]] [[ClassyCatBurglar Mine]] of ''Characters/LupinIII'' fame. When she's not using her body to get what she wants, she falls back on her knowledge of weaponry, battle strategy, and disguising. She uses this against anyone and everyone, especially her male counterpart and [[{{Foil}} rival, Arsene Lupin III]].** Fujiko's fame reached a climax in 2012, when after forty years and much egging by the fans, she had a spin-off series that featured her and the rest of the Lupin gang as a series-long OriginsEpisode, similar to the Monkey Punch era titled ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine''. * Nao Yuuki from ''Anime/MaiHime'', with [[FemmeFatalons claws to match]]. She uses her feminine wiles to lure overly eager sexual predators [[EnjoKosai with promises of dating them]] and separate them from their money [[spoiler: as a sort-of revenge for the family she lost: thugs robbed her family, killed her father, and left her mom in a ConvenientComa]]. (Oh, and [[DarkMagicalGirl she can fight, too]].)* Bitch-sensei Irina Jelavic from ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom''. Before coming to class 3-E, she was a assassin famous for her HoneyTrap method. Now that she is a teacher, she's more than willing to pass her skills to her students and at least [[FilleFatale two of them]] are already on the way to become this trope.* Barbara in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', specifically the Crashtown Arc. She not only used her charms to gain Yusei's trust, only to betray him later (and ''then'' offer to spare him if she willingly submitted to him, something he refused) she later betrayed her original lover, showing true loyalty - apparently - to her equally-rotten boyfriend (husband in the dub) Lotten, and was, like him, one of the few villains in the franchise incapable of redemption. (Ironically, despite the fact that she didn't duel even once - whether she even ''did'' that or not isn't even known - Barbara remains one of the most hated villains in the franchise by fans.)* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS'', there is Due, the second Number, who infiltrated the Grand Cathedral of the Sankt Kaiser Church ten years before the story began. As a MasterOfDisguise, [[TheMole she pretended to be an innocent looking sister]] and seduced an unnamed priest in charge and persuaded him to steal the Shroud of the Sankt Kaiser for her. The DNA of Olivie Sägebrecht were used by the BigBad [[MadScientist Jail Scaglietti]] to create a clone of her, Vivio Takamachi, Nanoha's (and [[LesYay Fate's]]) adopted [[HasTwoMommies daughter]].* Soti from ''Manhua/CyberWeaponZ'' left Park Iro for [[BigBad Leiting]] and at first looks like an indecisive DarkMistress. However, she's not above infiltrating the Shaolin temple to spy on the man she once loved and gain information for her new boyfriend, but usually doesn't act directly against him out of respect for what they once had. Iro is often troubled by her presence since her sweet face and apparent harmlessness still get to his heart, despite the fact that she's a quite capable DarkActionGirl.* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'': In the public eye, Sylia Stingray is the modest entrepreneur of the Silky Doll fashion boutique. But, away from prying eyes, she's an alluring businesswoman who brokers backwater deals with wealthy clients and informants in high-level government positions, who also act as [[BigGood her eyes and ears]] against [[MegaCorp the Genom Corporation.]] And while she doesn't mind them looking, she makes it clear that her body is never part of the deal.* The enigmatic [[spoiler:Kaworu Nagisa]] of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' fame is the AmbiguouslyGay male equivalent. He turns up in TheHero's lonely life to seduce him, [[note]]Nothing explicitly sexual occurs on screen, but we do get treated to loads of ''extreme'' HoYay, and many female examples in other stories (like ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'''s archetypal Brigid O'Shaughnessy) don't move beyond flirting and implications either.[[/note]] all while secretly moving toward [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt his own morally questionable goal]]. Like many female examples of this trope, he's less ''evil'' than he is misguided, and in the end, [[spoiler: after presumably falling in love with TheHero, he [[RedemptionEqualsDeath redeems himself through a]] HeroicSacrifice]].* Lust from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is aptly named, making heavy use of this trope in every single version of the series. As one of the primary agents of the BigBad, she uses her incredible beauty and cunning mind to manipulate men...often killing them once they are no longer useful. The manga and ''Brotherhood'' paints her as a cruel and dangerous woman, while [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] presents her as more of a tragic AntiVillain. Her design perfectly calls up the classic image, with flowing black curls and a slinky black dress, as well as smoky makeup. * Rize Kamishiro from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', a beautiful and sadistic Ghoul that enjoys preying on men. She uses her good looks to seduce her victims, often playing coy and innocent to draw them in before revealing her true nature. The story is kicked off when she appears as the mysterious and beautiful girl at the coffee shop that ill-fated Kaneki asks on a date. She plays the damsel, faking tears and asking him to walk her home because she's afraid of doing it alone......then attempts to eat him once she has him in a suitably deserted area. After being transformed into a HalfHumanHybrid as a result of receiving a transplant from her, one of Kaneki's primary goals is to learn who Rize actually was and what made her abandon her original identity and spend her life on the run. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* Not surprisingly, due to its noirish roots, ''Comicbook/SinCity'' has quite a few. Almost every female character counts, and Dwight is the one that gets in trouble with them as they tend to go back and forth between DamselInDistress and TheVamp. The most triumphant example from the series is in ''The Babe Wore Red''. Dwight said it best:--> '''Dwight''': The moment I lay eyes on her, I know I'm in trouble.* ''ComicBook/{{Fatale}}'' by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (of ''Comicbook/{{Criminal}}'' fame) places a horror spin on this trope which also serves to make the femme fatale in question more sympathetic; it's implied that she's supernaturally cursed to forever remain young and beautiful, and the spell also works to cause them to fall hopelessly in love with her to the point where it leads to their own ruin. It's clearly established that she hates her life and the effect that she has on men, but can't escape it.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Animation]]* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' gives us [[spoiler:Prince Hans]] as a gender-flipped example, and since this is Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, he's less of a ''sexual'' example than he is a ''romantic'' example. He turns up in [[spoiler:Anna's]] life, showers her in the affection and love she's been lacking all her life, and even proposes marriage to her. We finally see his true colors, though, when he tells her: "Oh, [[spoiler:Anna]], ''[[WhamLine if only there was someone out there who loved you]]''."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]* Brigid O'Shaughnessy from ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' is one of the earliest examples in noir fiction. She's directly involved in betrayal, theft, and several murders all while trying to play innocent to (not to mention seduce) the lead character throughout most of the film and the book. * Kathie Moffat ([[Creator/StevenMoffat no relation]]) from ''Film/OutOfThePast'' is the quintessential film noir example. She lies, steals, kills at least three people and conspires to commit another murder, uses sex to ensnare men to do what she wants, and she looks great in a cocktail dress.* Catherine Tramell in ''Film/BasicInstinct'' is one of the most iconic examples in modern filmmaking. No surprise, seeing as how the entire film is a 90's update on the FilmNoir genre. She seduces both men [[DepravedBisexual and women]] to attain her goals, tempts Nick with her emotional vulnerability after [[spoiler:Roxy]]'s death, [[spoiler:and committed all the murders.]]* [[Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]] has always been a classic example, but the way Creator/AnneHathaway portrays her in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' takes it to a whole new level. Suffering from a major case of HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, her tough, street-smart cat burglar is as elegant as she is dangerous, something Bruce Wayne both notices and forgets when he's in her presence. Director Creator/ChristopherNolan claims that he has always envisioned Catwoman as an "old-school femme fatale".* Summer in ''Film/DefinitelyMaybe'' is the sexually adventurous "bitch" that destroyed her boyfriend's career to advance her own.* Phyllis Dietrichson from the classic noir ''Film/DoubleIndemnity''. She starts an affair with Walter Neff, an insurance agent. Together, they convince her husband to take a life insurance, then kill him and MakeItLookLikeAnAccident so they could collect the money.* Europa trilogy by Creator/LarsVonTrier has two examples. Because these are LarsVonTrier movies, both characters are examples of ruthless deconstruction of Femme Fatale trope, both utterly fail their agenda and turn out to be extreme versions of JerkassWoobie trope.** In ''Film/TheElementOfCrime'', there is Kim, Asian prostitute, who slept with SerialKiller the protagonist is looking out for, and she tries to misguide the protagonist, but fails and, in the end she can do nothing but cry, when he watches [[spoiler:how the man who was, in fact, her real lover and father of her child is hanged by himself.]]** The other example is Katharina Hartmann from ''Film/{{Europa}}'', who seduces the hero, makes him fall in love with her and maryy her, exploiting her image of InnocentBystander who merely got involved with Nazi underground, [[spoiler: while in fact she was a HoneyTrap for the hero, and she drove her father to suicide, and tried to make the hero commit bombing killing many allied officers.]] She utterly fails at the end, [[spoiler:and is killed along with every major character in the movie by suicidal bombing of the train by the protagonist.]]* The shade of Mal in ''Film/{{Inception}}''. She killed or tried to kill someone in about every other scene she was in, but she still gave the hero pause when he was faced with stopping her.* Tae-ju in ''Film/{{Thirst}}'', who seduces Sang-hyun, [[spoiler:convinces him to murder her husband and turn her into a vampire, then turns into a gleeful killer.]]* Jessica from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. She's a toon clearly created by some artist to be the perfect example, from her dangerous good looks and sultry voice, to the slinky way she moves. Even her smile is suspicious. [[spoiler: It turns out that she's the RedHerring and was telling the truth all along. She really isn't bad! Just drawn that way.]] * Viper from ''Film/TheWolverine'', kills with a kiss... literally. She does know how to use her considerable sexuality as a weapon.%% * Emma Frost in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', who is then replaced by Angel. Mystique also [[StartOfDarkness starts to blossom into one]].* ''Film/NakedWeapon'' is all about a MurderInc organization that kidnaps and trains young Asian girls to seduce and kill their male targets. Their favorite method of killing the target is to ''rip out the spinal cord'', which they can do in a blink of an eye. Often, they will first have sex with the mark and then offer a massage. Cue the spine attack.* Dr. Elsa Schneider in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. She seduces both Indiana and his father to gain vital information for the Nazi’s mission to find the Holy Grail. However, as the movie goes on, she pulls a HeelFaceTurn and helps Indiana by disposing of the BigBad. However, her RedemptionEqualsDeath, because, like most femme fatales, she couldn’t overcome her biggest FatalFlaw - greed. In a LiteralCliffhanger, she thought she could reach the grail with a free hand in time for Indiana to pull her up. Unfortunately, he can’t hold her slippery gloved hand and she falls to her death.* Vivian, from noir classic ''Film/TheBigSleep,'' is set up to be the typical Femme Fatale, such as being involved in several shady deals, gambling, and [[spoiler:admitting to help cover up a murder]] all while trying to manipulate detective Marlowe into doing what she wants. Where the novel plays the trope completely straight, the film changes up the game by making her turn heroic halfway through the picture instead.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Rita, the sexy, deadly, devil-may-care manhunter from ''Literature/PutTheSepiaOn'' is named after legendary film femme fatale Rita Hayworth, and lives up to it. * In ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'' action/comedy series by Harry Harrison, thief turned galactic secret agent 'Slippery Jim' [=DiGriz=] finds himself up against the psychotic (yet beautiful and criminally brilliant) Angelina. Jim falls in love and marries her in the next novel of the series. Supposedly, the psych-techs have straightened out Angelina's twisted personality, implanting her with a conscience, but there are times when her husband has to restrain Angelina's natural enthusiasm for [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and killing. Plus, Jim quickly learns the inadvisability of showing interest in other women, or trying to wriggle out of promises (an attempt to back out of their marriage is stopped by Angelina shoving a [[HandCannon .75 calibre recoil free pistol]] up his nose).* In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Ghostmaker'', Inquisitor Lilith actively tries to incite [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]] in Gaunt as a way to manipulate him. Gaunt calls her on it and tells her it's not needed, he will help voluntarily. She admits at the time that she's not used to voluntary cooperation and, later, when about [[CoolGate to go through a gate to an Eldar craftworld]], that she actually found Gaunt attractive.* Patience Kys in the Literature/{{Ravenor}} books by the same author is a [[AntiHero heroic]] example, she is a somewhat hostile IceQueen who tends to use her attractiveness to her advantage on covert operations.* Lara Raith from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. It helps that she's a {{succubus}}. It contrasts rather nicely to her sister, Madeleine, who ''tries'' to pull this off, bless her sordid heart, but really just comes off as a Vamp.** Not just Lara. The first time we see Mab, [[TheFairFolk the Winter Queen]], she is pulling the classic 'slinky sexpot asks the P.I. for help' routine in Harry's office.*** Harry, being GenreSavvy as always, gets suspicious and manages to figure out what Mab is(although a ColdIron test is how he was certain). Although it is more surprising for him not to be suspicious of Femme Fatals.* [[TheChessmaster Senna Wales]] of ''Literature/{{Everworld}}'', by a combination of physical attractiveness, [[ManipulativeBastard emotional manipulation]], and [[CompellingVoice magic]].* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/TheDevilInIron", the [[MadeASlave slave]] Octavia is ordered to do this to lure Conan.* In Creator/JosephaSherman's ''Literature/TheShiningFalcon'', Ljuba uses magic and sex to try to work herself into power.* Cora Smith in ''Literature/ThePostmanAlwaysRingsTwice''. She's married to an old Greek man named Nick who owns a diner. When Frank, a young drifter gets a job at the diner, Cora starts a passionate affair with him, and together they conspire to kill Nick.* Homeland Security agent Cassandra Renaldo in the Creator/DaleBrown novel ''A Time for Patriots'', who seduces Bradley to use against Pat.* In ''Literature/RedeemingLove'' by Francine Rivers, Angel is a former prostitute who has no qualms about using her [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman notoriously drop-dead gorgeous looks]] to get what she wants. Interestingly subverted in that because this is the ''only'' way she knows to get what she wants, it’s a sign of [[BrokenBird immaturity and desperation]] rather than of self-confsome self-confidence (and normal social skills) via ThePowerOfLove.* Annabel St. Clair in the short story ''Amante Doree'' from ''Literature/SomewhereBeneathThoseWaves'' -- she's a beautiful, charming Louisianian courtesan-spy for the interests of the French government.* Subverted in ''Literature/MrBlank'': Our genre-savvy hero just knows Mina will betray him on account of her beauty, [[spoiler: yet she turns out to be the most loyal ally he has.]] ** Once again subverted in [[Literature/GetBlank the sequel]], where we have Heather Marie Tooms, former movie star and current assassin for a [[ChurchOfHappyology self-help cult]]. While she tries to be flirty (and she's certainly attractive), she's far too creepy and unstable to be alluring.* Lampshaded in ''Literature/CityOfDevils'' when the hero remarks, upon entrance of the femme fatale, Oscar-winning doppelganger actress Imogen Verity, "not only had I seen the movie, but it had starred her."* Surprisingly averted in the "Literature/DamselsOfDistress'' series of novellas. None of the members of the all-female mercenary gang are particularly apt at anything related to charming or seducing men. They are deadly, however. * The backstory of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has [[PredecessorVillain Gellert Grindelwald]], the greatest dark wizard before [[BigBad Voldemort]], as a male example. By exploiting sexual attraction and feelings of love, Grindelwald temporarily indoctrinated [[spoiler:[[WordOfGay Albus Dumbledore]]]] into his WhiteMansBurden-esque plan to conquer {{Muggles}} "for the greater good." However, like many female examples, Grindelwald wasn't purely evil, but instead misguided and capable of redemption. When Voldemort interrogated him about the Elder Wand, he refused to tell, presumably out of respect for the Wand's master - namely, [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]], Grindelwald's former target of seduction.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* Selena Coombs of ''Series/AmericanGothic''. In an interesting inversion, however, her primary sexual usage in the show, aside from being Buck's mistress, is not to turn a good man evil, but to keep a man nominally on the side of evil--Ben Healy--from defecting to the good.* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':** Inverted by Spike (a knowingly seductive, platinum-blond male vampire), who tells Buffy that she belongs "in the dark, with me." Especially pronounced in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E13DeadThings Dead Things]]," the source of the quote.** Darla is also one. She is very manipulative (for example, she easily controls Lindsey in ''Angel'' - who is a lawyer) and exercises sexual power over Angel. She's also something of an AntiHero, however.** Drusilla is a wholly villainous example. She appears very innocent and vulnerable (for a vampire) at first and often uses this to lure men into her service. ** Faith, who serves as a Foil to Buffy herself. She would often use her sexuality to her advantage, e.g. she tried to get Angel to sleep with her which would cause him to lose his soul and become evil. * Sam Marquez on ''Series/LasVegas'' works for a casino. Specifically, her job is to keep 'whales' - big spenders - happy. Once, she only slept with a guy because he was dying, and she has openly called herself a slut. Strangely, she rarely sleeps with any of the whales themselves, and had to start going to a therapist later in the series after she was [[WhamEpisode abducted and nearly raped and killed]].* Dita Von Teese's character in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "A Kiss Before Frying" is a serial-killer that seduces Greg so she can find out more about the case, and she tries to kill him like her previous lovers.* Maneater Edie Britt on ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' who seduces and uses any man she comes across, and she doesn't care if their married either. Special mention goes to Mike, Carlos and Karl. * Miss Parker from ''Series/ThePretender''. Makes her entrance stomping out a cigarette on an oil tanker, shoots at the good guy a lot, has UST with him, and regularly growls at and intimidates most men within range.* ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'': Adelle [=DeWitt=] - charming, morally grey ballbuster who is equally at home with threats and seduction, and approaches Darth Vader levels of nastiness in the second season. She is. In. Charge.* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' ** Tess Mercer** In the episode "[[{{Elseworld}} Noir]]", an episode with all the characters in a FilmNoir, Lana takes the role of the Femme Fatale, [[spoiler: having an affair with Clark Kent, an undercover cop, killing her husband, Lex, and framing Jimmy for the murder]].* [[RobotGirl Cameron]] of ''Series/TheSarahConnorChronicles'' has more than once used her physical body's attractiveness to coldly manipulate people, up to and including John Connor himself. It is implied that this was, in fact, the entire reason she was built. [[spoiler: Her external appearance was based on a girl named Allison Young, who was implied to be either a close friend or lover of the future John Connor, and Cameron interrogated Allison to learn her mannerisms before attempting to take her place.]]* A villainous example is Commandant Mele-On Grayza from ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. In addition to being very attractive with well-displayed breasts, she also secretes a chemical from a gland between her breasts that literally hypnotized men into doing her bidding.* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' has a number of [[GenderInvertedTrope gender inverted examples]], most notably Troy Vandergraff and Logan Echolls - both LoveInterests to the female detective protagonist at some point. The former is a petty criminal masquerading as a NiceGuy, and the latter is a [[WildCard morally ambiguous]] [[TheCharmer charmer]] with shady motives, whose weapons of choice are a) sex and b) psychological manipulation.* On ''Series/{{Weeds}}'', Nancy may not seem like it at first, but she has this effect on men. They seem to be attracted to her despite the fact that she brings chaos to everything she touches.* ''Series/TheShadowLine'' has Petra Nayler, girlfriend of the missing Glickman. She seduces the married Joseph Bede using her apparent helplessness, [[spoiler:and is later revealed to have done this to Glickman too, under the orders of Counterpoint. Not only that, she only went to Bede to look for leads on Glickman's location, so she could kill him for trying to expose the conspiracy.]]* Katherine Pierce from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' is a classic example. She's willing to seduce anyone that can give her what she needs, and the many, many men that have taken the fall for her over the past 3 seasons are more than happy to comply.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]%%* "Killer" by Music/{{KISS}} from ''Music/CreaturesOfTheNight''.* Music/{{Calexico}}'s "Ballad of Cable Hogue" has an Old Western version. She's only ever referred to as "Madame". Even though the narrator suspects that Madame will be the death of him, she sweet-talks him into leaving his gold with her for safekeeping. Then she leads "an army" to his hiding place and guns him down. * Music/DavidByrne's "Miss America" uses this as an extended metaphor for the US's foreign policy. America is a woman who seduces men then discards them when she no longer needs them. The narrator knows how dangerous she is, and he loves her anyway.* Music/VelvetUnderground's "Femme Fatale" from ''Music/TheVelvetUndergroundAndNico'' is literally about a seductive woman.* "Black Lady" by Music/DonnaSummer from ''Music/IRememberYesterday'', which is more about a bad woman than one who has a black skin color.--> ''Black lady, black lady''--> ''She was mean, really bad''--> ''She was slender as a cat at night, she made the men go mad''--> ''Well her eyes were green, and her skin was soft''--> ''And the lady's heart was as hard as rock''[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]* Creator/{{Bally}}'s ''Pinball/MataHari'' pinball shows the title character in her bedroom, handing over a secret map with one hand while discretely clutching a small dagger in the other.* In Creator/{{Capcom}}'s unreleased ''Pinball/{{Kingpin}},'' there's Trixie, the mob boss' {{Moll}} who's a sexy LadyInRed... and handy with a pistol.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* Maggie Chow in ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. [[spoiler: Turns out, she's actually in league with the villains and murdered the leader of the Red Dragon triad and stole his nano-technologically enhanced sword in order to initiate a triad war.]]* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''** Ada Wong initially showed very mild DamselInDistress qualities in her first appearance, but by the fourth game in the series, there was no question that she was a first-class example, to the point that it's clear in retrospect that her original helplessness was playact the whole time. Trying to figure out which side the girl is on and if she's going to help you or hurt you can give you (and poor [[TheHero Leon]]) a serious headache.** Excella Gionne from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' is also an example, being Wesker's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[spoiler:An example that ends up being {{subverted|Trope}}: it is she who ends up being manipulated and betrayed by Wesker, who injects her with the Uroboros virus she created. Rather than a manipulative woman behind the man, she's actually just an opportunistic RichBitch who is TooDumbToLive.]]* Elizabeth in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' DLC ''BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea Episode I'' as she [[spoiler: lures Booker/Comstock deep into Rapture just so she can kill him.]]* Miranda Lawson in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' at first appears to be a femme fatale, but it's ultimately subverted as she quits Cerberus and makes no attempts at seducing Shepard. She actually tries to avoid a romance, at first, if a Male Shepard pursues it.* Naomi in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. According to the backstory, she seduced Richard Ames away from his wife, Nastasha Romanenko, in order to get onto the [=FoxDie=] project so she could modify it to kill Snake. She spent the game until the bombshell [[{{Tsundere}} alternately]] acting very cold towards him and [[StalkerWithACrush drooling over him]]. She has good intentions.* Ultimecia in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is this. When she's [[spoiler: possessing Edea - who normally wears a very simple and modest dress - she makes her wear incredibly ornate and over-the-top "sexy" clothing]]. When you finally meet her in person, the costume she has on is, to say the least, extravagant. She uses her body to get what she wants, and was openly called a Femme Fatale in the spin-off game Dissidia.* Viletta Vadim from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', starting out as TheMole of the team for [[spoiler:Ingram]] and is a deadly pilot in combat. This is later subverted as Viletta [[spoiler:and Ingram]] have good intentions, despite coming off as rather strict [[spoiler:and oh-so-much a MagnificentBastard for Ingram]], not flat out evil. Her looks also gave her the distinction of being one of Excellen's 'Three Beautiful Sisters' and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the only person she'd go]] LesYay with. To hammer it home, her theme song was re-named to this trope when OriginalGeneration got a US translation by Atlus (it was formerly 'Woman The Cool Spy').* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', the last Bad End you can get is called Femme Fatale, in which [[spoiler:Shirou can't bring himself to kill Dark Saber, and Rin is absorbed by Dark Sakura and forced to experience all of Sakura's years of sexual and mental abuse. Forever.]]* Bonne Jenet from ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''. She isn't evil per se (despite being a PirateGirl, her Lilien Knights [[JustLikeRobinHood only steal from the rich]]), but she can and ''will'' use her feminine wit and [[{{Stripperiffic}} sex]] [[ForeignFanservice appeal]] to get what she wants (she's also ''very'' [[TheTease flirtatious]]). Oddly enough, she also happens to be a TheLadette.* In ''VideoGame/{{Thief}} The Dark Project'', Viktoria plays this to Garrett's Noir action hero, tempting him with greed, the power of an exotic blade, and obliquely hints at the possibility of sex. Without Constantine's leadership in ''Metal Age'', she becomes less this, but still remains [[EnemyMine Strange Bedfellows]].* Sylvia Christel from ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', who manages to convince an impoverished otaku living in a cheap motel to use his laser sword that he got off the Internet to murder people. Granted, said otaku wasn't exactly a prince himself in terms of morality.* Carlotta Von Überwald in ''VideoGame/DiscworldNoir'', the extremely attractive woman who [[DetectivePatsy hires Lewton]] and who turns out to be [[spoiler: directly or indirectly responsible for multiple murders, a ReligionOfEvil cultist, a werewolf, and the Disc's counterpart to the Femme Fatales in ''The Maltese Falcon'', ''The Big Sleep'' '''and''' ''Farewell, My Lovely'']].[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:WebOriginal]]%%* The two main female characters from ''Narbonic'' both qualify. One's a MadScientist, the other's a GunNut.%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]* Sahar of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. She has spent several years seducing any mutant (male or female) with the right powers, so she can copy their best psychic traits. Even the campus Alphas and Intelligence Cadet Corps fear her.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''** Blackarachnia from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' plays this to the hilt when she gets a chance, towards allies and enemies alike, though she [[DarkActionGirl does less flirting and more fighting]] than is usual for this trope. The choice of a black widow spider as her alternate mode is surprisingly appropriate, though she's not without redeeming qualities.** The Blackarachnia in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' fulfills this trope whenever it's convenient for her, either with the Autobots or the Dinobots. Optimus Prime is especially vulnerable to falling for this no matter how many times she does it. It does make you wonder why she considers herself such a horrific freak, when everyone with a spark seems to want to jump her thorax. Probably because of her face under the helmet.* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderman'''s ClassyCatBurglar Black Cat has shades of this trope, willingly flirting with and helping Spider-Man to [[ClearMyName clear his name]], while using the same opportunity to steal jewels on the sly. Though the flirting stopped when [[spoiler:her father (the Burglar who shot Ben Parker) decided to remain in prison to repent. She hates Spider-Man for this and will never forgive him.]]* Used in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' in the design of [[BadassNormal Asami Sato]]. With her long raven hair, beautiful figure, red clothes, fighting prowess, [[MugglePower lack of bending]], [[RomanticFalseLead competition as Mako's love interest]], rich [[spoiler: and evil family]] she fit this trope like a glove. It was all a subversion, because she really was nice and caring, and not the double-crosser so many fans assumed she'd be based on her appearence. * ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' ran into this type of villain ''twice''. (Demons and bounty hunters were easy for him; seductresses, not so much.) The first one was actually Aku in disguise, and it ended ''very'' badly for Jack. The second one was Josephine Clench, also a DarkActionGirl and half of an OutlawCouple with her ex-husband Zeke. Apparently, her typical MO was to lure a victim into a false sense of security with her charms so that Zeke could attack by surprise, and then ''she'' could strike from behind when he tried to fight him. It almost worked on Jack, [[spoiler: but the plan fell apart when she tried to double-cross Zeke. Possibly, something like this may have been why they had divorced.]][[/folder]]